Wednesday, February 22, 2012

My Visit to Arlington National Cemetery

This week, we are celebrating President's Day.....and this is the perfect week to be sharing my recent trip to Washington, D.C., with you! Last week, I joined my dear husband on a business trip to the "other Washington" where he was involved with some meetings with his company. I had never been to Washington, D.C., and was very excited to spend Valentine's week there with my husband. We scheduled two extra days after his meetings concluded to explore as many sights as we could fit into our schedule. I was very excited to finally be seeing some of the wonderful things I had only been able to visit through photos and readings in school in my history class :) History became very real to me last week! I have so many photos that I would like to share with you, sooooo many, that I am breaking it up into several postings. Today, I would like to take you to a place that really stirred my heart......Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.

My husband and I took the metro near our hotel to Arlington Cemetery. As we neared the entrance, we saw these beautiful gates...

I loved the ornate design....

Stone eagles watch over the cemetery...

On the side of the gates, which is large enough for a vehicle to pass through, are stone arches.

Here is a photo of my husband standing under one of the archway passages...

A nice man who passed us making photos of each other at the entranceway was nice enough to make a photo of my husband and I together at the gate...

Me standing at the beginning of our walk through the Cemetery. You can see some of the many grave markers behind me...

The weather in Washington, D.C., like the area in which we live in near Seattle, has been very mild this year. The temperatures we experienced while on our trip were almost identical to what we have been having in Seattle. We experienced some rain on the day we viewed some of the museums, but this day was very sunny and beautiful. It was a perfect day to walk the grounds of this beautiful cemetery.

As you begin to see all the many, many white grave markers at the Cemetery, you begin to feel a stirring in your heart. As the sign says, these truly are "hallowed grounds" that we are walking on....

Arlington Cemetery is one of the best known of over one hundred national cemeteries in the United States. There are approximately 620 acres of property at Arlington National Cemetery which shelters the remains of over 320,000 servicemen and women. There are veterans from every war and major conflict in the history of the United States buried at this Cemetery. As one of the brochures for the Cemetery states, "This is our nation's most sacred military shrine and bears witness to the whole of American history."

If you have never been to the Arlington National Cemetery before, I cannot begin to tell you what emotions you feel when you survey all the white grave markers....it is truly a moving experience.

The property that Arlington Cemetery sits on was once home to the tribes of Native-Americans who fished the neighboring rivers. They hunted in the forests. There have been stone tools found on the property of the Cemetery that once belonged to and were used by the tribes. During the colonial period, this area was home and farmland for European settlers. George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of Martha Washington and step-son of George Washington, inherited the land in 1802. Raised as the nation's first presidential son, Custis dedicated his life to the commemoration of the first president. Between 1802 and 1818, he built Arlington House as the centerpiece of his 1,100 acre plantation. It was our nation's first memorial to George Washington and a home for Custis' growing family. In 1831, Custis' only surviving child, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married Lt. Robert E. Lee of the United States Army in the front parlor at Arlington House and, for over 30 years, the house was the home to one of America's most famous soldiers and his family. By the end of May, 1861, the Lees had vacated the home and federal troops occupied the estate, using Arlington House as the headquarters. In 1864, Washington, D.C., was flooded with wounded and dead soldiers from both North and South. On May 13, the first military burials at Arlington took place at what is now Section 27 of the Cemetary. By the end of the Civil War, there were nearly 16,000 dead buried on the old plantation. Ultimately, the Lees were compensated for the loss of their property by the federal Supreme Court. Arlington House and the new cemetery remained with the War Department and served as an early cemetery headquarters. The U.S. Army began restoring the house and slave quarters in the early 1930s. In 1933, the War Department separated Arlington House and transferred it to the National Park Service. There is so much history and so many stories on these grounds. It is truly a great experience to stand here. George Washington Parke Custis is buried at the cemetery in Section 13. As most of us know, President John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington Cemetery as well as Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Like so many Americans, and people all over the world, I loved President Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy when I was growing up. I was in elementary school when President Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a Presidential motorcade parade in Dallas, Texas. If you were alive at this time, you will never forget where you were the day the Nation learned that President Kennedy had been shot. It was a very sad day for our country, and a day that stands out in the minds of all Americans who remember this day.

Signs point the way to the gravesite...

When you get close to the gravesite, there is a sign to remind all that this is a place of respect. At the gravesite, no one spoke above a whisper.

Approaching the graves....

An eternal flame keeps watch over the graves....

I remember Jackie Kennedy lighting this flame at the time of President John F. Kennedy's burial.

It was very touching to see the grave of President Kennedy...

A single deep pink carnation was placed at President Kennedy's grave...

I have always admired and loved Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. I still have the pillbox hat that I wore in elementary school at the time she was First Lady. Jackie Kennedy's style of dress influenced many of us during the time that she was in the White House. Designers loved to dress Jackie, and you could see the influence she had on the dress of Americans. Lots of ladies wore their own versions of her pearls, gloves, suits and pillbox hats during the 1960s. Jackie brought back a lot of culture and style to the White House. She also took great pride in restoring and refreshing some of the interior of the White House. I remember watching the tour of the White House that she personally hosted on television. Jackie continued to capture the hearts of Americans and the world even after her White House days. Many people refer to the time that President Kennedy was in office as the time of "Camelot." The Kennedys were probably as close as we ever got to America's version of a "Royal Family." Even after Jackie's White House days, we were all intrigued with her, and she continued to influence the dress of American women. Everyone remembers those famous oversized "Jackie O" sunglasses that were seen everywhere. Even today, when I see a very large pair of sunglasses, I think of Jackie. I think also women loved Jackie because she was such a good Mother. She loved her children so much and spent a lot of time with them. She was very protective and loving towards Caroline and John, Jr., and also her grandchildren. She had a love for her family, history, poetry and books which she passed along to her children. Sadly, John F. Kennedy, Jr., died with his wife and her sister in a tragic plane crash a few years ago. My heart goes out to Caroline. The Nation lost a beloved President, a beautiful former First Lady, and a handsome son who was, like his Dad, loved by many....but Caroline lost her family....a Dad, a Mother and a brother. My Mother, like me, always loved and admired Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Both my Mother and Jackie Kennedy Onassis died of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Here is the gravesite of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis....

A single deep pink carnation was placed at Jackie's grave...

The graves of their little ones who died are also there beside the President and Jackie. One child is buried on each side with the former President and First Lady in the middle...

My husband took these photos of me standing at the gravesite...President Kennedy's burial place is the most visited single gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery.As you walk down the steps from the gravesite area, there are walls with these words etched into them...

You will recognize this famous speech...Walking a short distance away from President Kennedy's gravesite, we spotted a gravesite that had astroturf leading up to it and a rope separating the gravesite. I didn't realize it until I walked up to take a look, but this is the grave of Edward Kennedy.

I was unable to get a clear shot of his grave marker, but if you look very closely, you will be able to read the name and dates...

Walking through the Cemetery, we saw a section of older graves. Some with large concrete or stone crosses...

Mark spotted the grave of this five star Fleet Admiral in the Navy, Admiral William D. Leahy, and his wife, Louise Harrington Leahy. Mark, as you may know, spent many years in the Navy and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 15 years ago...Mark with another Admiral's grave...Some interesting gravesites and markers...

Walking on, my husband spotted these three gravesites. Not to be disrespectful, but the bar is set pretty high when you are buried between "Good" and "Perfect." :) You have to smile....

My ancestors, like many, fought in the Civil War, so I wanted to look for the memorial and gravesite for the unknown dead from the Civil War....

The remains of 2,111 unidentified soldiers gathered after the War from the fields of Bull Run and the route to Rappahannock are buried at this site. Brave soldiers who never returned home but forever remembered and honored.

Unknown Civil War dead are located in Section 26 of the Cemetary and was dedicated in 1866.This arbor has a vine growing over it. I would love to see this Cemetery in the springtime when the cherry blossoms are in bloom and all the vines are beautiful and thriving. The Cemetery is very beautiful in the winter but would be so pretty with all the blooms and greenery.

This marker had a beautiful leaf border around it...

Now to find, the Tomb of the Unknowns which is the first thing you usually think about when you mention Arlington National Cemetery....

The current Memorial Amphitheater and the adjacent Tomb of the Unknowns (Unknown Solder) have become memorial icons. Flags surround the marble benches and the podium where world leaders pay tribute to those who served. Presidential wreaths are presented each Memorial Day and Veterans Day. We found our way to the Amphitheater...

I love this photo I took of the sunlight shining through the trees...

My husband, Mark, inside the amphitheater...

The amphitheater is very beautiful and parts of it ornate...

My husband took this photo of me standing in the hallway....

The Tomb of the Unknowns (Unknown Soldier) is located behind the amphitheater....

Powerful words say it all....... "known but to God"....

The Tomb of the Unknowns was established in 1921. A sentinel of the Third United States Infantry maintains vigil around the clock.

The sentinel on guard paces 21 steps alongside the tomb, then pauses 21 seconds, then returns.

The changing of the guard takes place every hour (or half-hour from March 15 through September) and is very moving to watch.

There is a small shelter guard tent for the sentinel to retreat to for a very brisk break to relax for a moment or take a sip of water. We saw the sentinel go into the shelter guard tent for just a few seconds, and then he quickly returned to his post and began pacing again. It is not easy to stand so erect and at attention for long periods of time. This sentinel looked very regal as he paced and stood at attention. It is a real honor to guard this tomb.

I particularly like this photo of the sentinel as he passes the tomb....

I also love this next photograph...

The tomb says "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God." The World War I soldier has been entombed here since 1921. Joining their comrade, unknown servicemen from World War II and Korea were interred on May 30, 1958. An unknown from Vietnam was interred on May 28, 1984. The Vietnam unknown was removed from the tomb and was identified in 1998 through a sophisticated DNA process. In the photo below, you see the sentinel during his 21 second pause at the end of the 21 step pace. You can see that the sentinels walk such a straight line that they have worn down the pavement a bit. You can actually see the outline in the concrete of the path they walk.

We stayed for a while and quietly watched the sentinel pace and guard the tomb. While we were silently watching, I couldn't help but think about all those men and women who have served and are currently serving our great country. I was thinking about all the sacrifices that these servicemen and women and their families have made to help keep our Nation safe....

Each serviceman or woman buried here is not only a soldier but also someone's loved one....someone's family...

Each grave belongs to a person....

and each person has a story to tell....

and each one of us have a lesson to learn....

A lesson of just how many people it has taken through the years....how many soldiers and how many lives given....to keep our beautiful United States of America free and safe from many who would seek to take away that freedom....

May we always pray for our servicemen and women and their families. May we always appreciate the freedom that we have and the lives that we live everyday because of those who serve. May we always be grateful and show our thanks.

A quilt displayed at the Arlington National Cemetery....

I hope you enjoyed visiting the Arlington National Cemetery with me today. I hope that everyone can visit this Cemetery someday. It is a very moving experience that you will never forget. There are many other monuments and memorials at the Cemetery besides the ones I featured in my blog. You could spend an entire day or two just walking the grounds and visiting each one. My husband and I hope to return to the Arlington National Cemetery soon to continue visiting these sites. Thank you for visiting my blog and have a beautiful day! xoxo Kim

Comments

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(((Kim))) Fabulous tour! Your photos are amazing! When we visited D.C. we didn't have time to visit the cemetery. I hope to visit again and stay several days. Thank you so much for the tour, the history and the stunning photography! I bet you could definitely feel something standing on such hallowed ground. I felt that way when we visited Gettysburg.

Hi Sandy,
Thank you so much for the visit and the nice comments on my posting on the Arlington National Cemetery. It is truly an awesome place to visit....it exceeded my expectations. I hope you do visit sometime! I bet Gettysburg would be nice to visit, too. You will have to share some on your post about that trip! Love you and have a great evening, Kim xoxo

Thanks for all this splendid pictures. I loved so much our dear President John Kennedy, Jackie and all his family I went years ago to his tomb but hope to come back soon. Watching your pictures... I should take a plane tomorrow... Sincerely Marisa Deswaef